• Severe – 0.5 to 1.5g – Aircraft handling made difficult
• Very severe – above 1.5g – Increasing handling difficulty, structural damage possible
To those who think they were in severe turbulence for 30 minutes or more, it is highly unlikely.
Those who mention heavy items such as crew ( sorry girls ) hitting the ceiling are probably talking about at least
mod to severe if not
severe turbulence. 30 minutes of that would cause serious damage to the cabin and most cockpits not to mention the occupants. In my nearly 20 years I have never seen severe turbulence last more than seconds.
Q: When you are planned through an area of known severe turbulence for a long period ( such as most winter eastbound Atlantic trips ) how many of you demand a re-route?